A Denver Book of Prayer

The City in Paradox

2009-07-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Paradox: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

"... with heavy paradox, the crucifixion of Jesus seen as the moment when his glory is fully and finally revealed, when the love of God which was always at work in him shines out most fully..." ~ N. T. Wright

The City Without A Church

2009-06-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

THE CITY WITHOUT A CHURCH (1850)
By Henry Drummond

I, John,
Saw the Holy City,
New Jerusalem,
Coming down from God out of Heaven.
* * *
And I saw no Temple therein.
* * *
And His servants shall serve Him;
And they shall see His Face;
And His Name shall be written on their foreheads.

I SAW THE CITY

TWO very startling things arrest us in John's vision of the future. The first is that the likest thing to Heaven he could think of was a City; the second, that there was no Church in that City.

Almost nothing more revolutionary could be said, even to the modern world, in the name of religion. No Church--that is the defiance of religion; a City--that is the antipodes of Heaven. Yet John combines these contradictions in one daring image, and holds up to the world the picture of a City without a Church as his ideal of the heavenly life.

By far the most original thing here is the simple conception of Heaven as a City. The idea of religion without a Church-- "I saw no Temple therein"--is anomalous enough; but the association of the blessed life with a City--the one place in the world from which Heaven seems most far away-- is something wholly new in religious thought. No other religion which has a Heaven ever had a Heaven like this. The Greek, if he looked forward at all, awaited the Elysian Fields; the Eastern sought Nirvana. All other Heavens have been Gardens, Dreamlands--passivities more or less aimless. Even to the majority among ourselves Heaven is a siesta and not a City. It remained for John to go straight to the other extreme and select the citadel of the world's fever, the ganglion of its unrest, the heart and focus of its most strenuous toil, as the framework for his ideal of the blessed life.

The Heaven of Christianity is different from all other Heavens, because the religion of Christianity is different from all other religions. Christianity is the religion of Cities. It moves among real things. Its sphere is the street, the market-place, the working-life of the world.

Juxtaposition

2009-06-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

jux•ta•po•si•tion
An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.

A placing or being placed in nearness or contiguity, or side by side; as, a juxtaposition of words.

juxtaposition in German is Nebeneinanderstellung
juxtaposition in Norwegian is sidestilling

The Daily Office: Urban Skye

2009-06-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Morning Prayer
Christ, as a light
Illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
Overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
On my left and my right.

This day be within
And without me,
Lowly and meek,
Yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each
To whom I speak;
In the mouth of each
Who speaks to me.

This day be within
And without me,
Lowly and meek,
Yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.

Source: Celtic Daily Prayer

Mid-day Prayer
May I have
The courage today
To live the life
That I would love,
To postpone my dream
No longer
But do at last
What I came here for
And waste my heart
On fear no more.

Source, John O’Donohue
To Bless the Space Between Us

Evening Prayer
The Sacred Three
My fortress be
Encircling me
Come and be round
My heart
And my home.

Source: Celtic Daily Prayer

Getting the Ass

2009-06-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who describes his role in the Kingdom as “The guy who was sent to get the donkey for Jesus.” I laughed when he said it. Now, I’m beginning to understand it.

Last night we had our initial gathering of “the 12” (minus a couple). Representatives from 12 Denver faith communities joined me for two hours to begin the journey of what will become a collaborative prayer book that is uniquely Denver.

I had three goals for the evening. One, I wanted those gathered to connect with each other. Two, I hoped to bring clarity to the what and the how of the project. Three, we needed to choose a theme for the prayer book.

The first goal was easy. People mixed and were energized by each other.

The second goal was accomplished well enough. Questions remain, of course, but we left with a more comprehensive picture of what we’re all going to offer.

The third goal provided the greatest challenge. How do you find a theme that we all wanted to embrace?

I thought about finding a Quaker to help with discernment but relied, instead, on an ongoing “holy conversation” approach. It’s messy and unpredictable, but I believe the Spirit speaks to listening communities even if the timing of understanding is often far different than planned. Last night, I believe we listened and were given enough discernment to take the next step.

Through table talk, prayer, reflection and a creative writing exercise, our final, town hall conversation began with the task of finding our theme. It began more a trickle than barrage, but the words came followed by impressions and eventually suggestions.

It was an engaging process as we trusted that the Spirit would reveal something to the 20 gathered. But the great impression on me was that those gathered knew the city. Some were born in this city. They love the city. They embody the city. I have worked in urban Denver some six years but my friends know the city. And they graciously spoke out of their knowledge words of the city to ride on for our prayer book. As host, I was just the guy getting the ass for them.

So, we have some words. Not the exact words, but two juxtaposed ideas that will serve as our thematic center for the prayer book: beauty and brokenness.

Our task continues to be one of listening to the Spirit as we find the exact words for our theme that embody the beauty of the city within and alongside her brokenness.

Please let the rest of us know what the Spirit is saying to you.

From St. Patrick’s Breastplate

2009-06-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

I rise today in power’s strength,
Invoking the Trinity,
Believing in Threeness,
Confessing the Oneness,
Of Creation’s Creator.